


High Maintenance

by lori_yuy



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Cute, Dating, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Romantic Fluff, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lori_yuy/pseuds/lori_yuy
Summary: Tseng found himself personally accompanying the Vice President of Shinra Company too often for his job title.  He had a suspicion that it was not all coincidental and suspected that Rufus took him along for the ride for his own reasons.  A series of events led him to discover his own feelings and eventually accept the strange relationship between him and Rufus Shinra.
Relationships: Cissnei & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Reno & Rude (Compilation of FFVII), Rude & Tseng (Compilation of FFVII), Rufus Shinra/Tseng
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	High Maintenance

**Author's Note:**

> They start young in this fic. All of them are still in their mid-to-late teens. I canonically use my idea of Cissnei being Tseng's partner in the Turks because I like them that way. My Tseng's personality aligns with his Before Crisis and Crisis Core personality, where he is a lot more emotional and expressive. I also added an adorably bashful side that I think he has but is well hidden.

It could be said that Rufus Shinra was high maintenance. It was a product of both his upbringing and the position he holds within the world. The Shinra heir kept up with public appearances, looking perfect and immaculate for any potential occasion where the paparazzi could catch him on camera. Tseng of the Turks often found himself accompanying the heir on trips of self indulgent care.

Tseng glanced down at his hands as they are being worked on. Rufus Shinra was in the seat next to him. A perfect manicure, not that it wasn't nice, but he felt out of place getting a manicure alongside the VP himself. As usual, he was asked to accompany the VP on his appointment, but when they arrived,  
Rufus had whispered something to the receptionist and Tseng soon found himself pushed into a chair with his gloves being pulled off.

"I need you to be looking just as perfect." Rufus explained as he observed Tseng's dismayed look at the layer of clear colored cure being painted on his nails.

"But nobody is going to be looking at my hands, Sir." Tseng replied.

Rufus eyed the gloves on the counter in front of Tseng. "Nonsense, your hands are lovely."

It was barely a week later when Tseng found himself with his shoes and socks being pulled off in a similar fashion. Rufus had requested to be driven somewhere, and they ended up at a pedicure salon.

"Sir...who is going to be looking at my toes?" Tseng was one of the few who had the galls to counter Rufus's decisions. 

Rufus didn't answer for a few minutes. He contemplated the question but came up with no good answer. "Don't you just feel better if your feet are taken care of Tseng? Quit whining and enjoy it."

A month later, he was not mentally prepared when the ladies at the hair salon started taking his hair out of its tie and doused him with shampoo and water as Rufus was there for his routine hair appointment. Before he knew it, they had styled his hair as well. Reno gave him shit for the fancy double twisted crown braid with curls for at least a week after that.

"What are you, a dainty princess playing dress up?" Reno sputtered before Cissnei kicked him for teasing her partner.

It was half a year later, but Tseng found himself soaked to the shoulders in a spa as an unplanned part of his work day. He didn't mind the luxury spa, but he felt very out of place to be enjoying all these perks at his rank. He didn't want to get in trouble if anyone found out he was getting all this pampering on the company's money and time.

Rufus's voice came up on queue as if he could read Tseng's thoughts. "Don't worry about the money. I write these things off as necessary business expense."

The VP was laid out comfortably at the edge of the spa, soaked just as deeply in the calming warm waters.

At first, when he was asked, he took it on as his duty. Special operations as dictated by need as a Turk. As time flew by, Tseng wasn't so sure that was exactly what this was. He couldn't understand why Rufus insisted that he participate in whatever luxury treatment he was getting himself for the day. It honestly sometimes made him feel like he was Rufus's personal plaything to be toyed with on a whim.

~...~

The passing of seasons through Midgar was more or less unnoticed as the city seemed perpetually unchanged except for the temperature fluctutations. The black helicoptor flew over the cityscape, its residents sleepy and getting ready for another winter night.

"We're going to the Gold Saucer ~~ We're going to the Gold Saucer ~~" Reno's repeating chant came from the front of the helicoptor.

Rude nudged him in the ribs after a few more iterations of the offkey singing. "Concentrate on piloting."

It was right before the holidays and even the Shinra building quieted down for the holiday season. It was rare for the Turks to have any vacation, nevertheless to a theme park. Rufus had personally requested the trip.

"It's my treat for all the things you guys do for the company. Besides, I'm sort of your boss."

Arguably true, but Tseng had a feeling that instead of the altruistic reasons he had given, Rufus just wanted to go to the theme park and was requesting that the Turks accompany him. Reno was visibly excited however. Might as well make the best of the situation, how many others could say they were treated to private vacation by Rufus Shinra?

The Gold Saucer was decked out in holiday lights, a layer of snow covered the ground and the colorful lights turned the normally gawdy place into a winter wonderland.

Reno and Rude had already gone off somewhere after they had settled in their booked block of hotel rooms, Turks covered the rooms on both sides of the hall surrounding the VP's room.

"YES!" Rufus shouted as he shot down another item off the shelf.

"Which would you like Sir?" The booth attendant asked nervously as he knew who Rufus was.

"The Moogle." Rufus replied. He handed the stuffed toy off to Tseng, who was now carrying a whole bag of them.

They dropped the bag of toys off in Rufus's hotel room. "What do you need all these stuffed animals for Sir?"

"Leave me be for a bit. You'll see later." Rufus replied as he waved Tseng out of the room.

"Babysitting the VP again Tseng?" He turned around to see Cissnei's arms clamped into Emma's. The two had returned from their own little outing at the Gold Saucer, ice cream cones in hand.

"You're going to get sick eating ice cream in the middle of winter." Tseng commented nonchalantly as he moved past them.

"Okay mom." Cissnei's voice rang out behind him and he could practically feel Emma's eyes roll.

At the dinner table, Rufus toasted a happy holidays to his Turks. The speech he gave was typical of most corporate speeches, short and encouraging, but unlike most corporate speeches, Rufus's actually had content and real feelings behind the words. Tseng had carried in a large box at his behest. The box was light but bulky. Tseng had a feeling he knew what was inside of it.

Each Turk was now being passed a personally wrapped toy in a ribbon, along with a hand-written holiday card, the toys that Rufus had won by hand earlier. When everything was passed out, Tseng did not receive anything and had a dismayed look in his eyes that you'd have to be an expert to notice. The strange expression did not escape the eyes of the other Turks however. Dinner went by in awkward silence.

"Do you think he pissed off the VP somehow?" Emma whispered to Cissnei as dessert was passed around the table.

"I don't know?" Cissnei whispered back as she eyed Tseng carefully, then the VP. The VP didn't seem bothered by the fact that he missed the one who rendered his services to him the most.

Tseng found himself sitting on a gondola after the awkward dinner. He didn't know why it even bothered him that he didn't get a stuffed animal, but the disappointment still nagged at him. Fireworks were being shot up outside, lighting up the chilly night sky while snow drifted all around them.

Rufus had asked for him to follow after dinner and they went back into the theme park. Rufus had pulled him towards the large ferris wheel. They had entered a gondola together.

"Sit with me." Rufus asked as he sat down.

If it wasn't for the tense atmosphere that had built up during dinner, this would have been nice. As a round of fireworks exploded nearby, lighting up the inside of the gondola, Tseng felt Rufus lean up against his shoulder.

He then felt a small box being pushed into his right hand.

He looked down and saw Rufus smiling at him. "Thinking that I forgot you?"

Tseng's expression softened and he returned the smile. "Yes actually."

"Open it."

He popped open the dainty looking white box. The fireworks outside lit up to show a pair of earrings. They weren't fancy and were appropriate for men.

"Do you like them?" Rufus prodded at him. He nodded and finally relaxed to enjoy the ride. He didn't know what he was feeling, but it was nice.

"Did you kiss and make up?" Cissnei asked him in the hotel lobby after Rufus went up the elevators without him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tseng lied as she hung onto his arm like a curious monkey.

"You absolutely know what I'm talking about!" She dug her hand into his pocket when she saw the silhouette of a box and pulled it out. "OH?"

"HEY!!" Tseng reached out but she ran off with the box and opened it. When she saw what was in it, she gasped and then walked sheepishly back towards him.

"Showered with fancy gifts unlike the rest of us I see." Cissnei teased, but pushed him down onto the lobby sofa.

"It's not fancy." Tseng countered.

She clipped the earrings onto his ears for him. "You should wear these for him to see tomorrow." 

She already knew that they were gifts for him. He couldn't hide anything from his partner.

~...~

"Your date with the lady in question is tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM sharp. The reservation is under your name at The Violetta." Tseng reported briefly.

"Tseng, who set this blind date up?" Rufus pouted as he contemplated the latest addition to his already busy social schedule.

"I believe your father did ... with the recommendation coming from Heidegger and Scarlet." Tseng added deftly.

Rufus scowled. He was only 17 but his father was already pushing him to go on dates in search of potential partners for marriage. He didn't mind socializing but he hated blind dates. "Go with me." He ordered Tseng.

"I'd have to anyways Sir, I'm your driver."

"Can you glare at her for me if she isn't my type?"

"Hmph." Tseng snickered lightly. "Give me a signal if you feel uncomfortable about it any time."

Tseng wasn't sure when his "relationship" with Rufus turned into something like casual friendship. He didn't mind playing wingman or anti-wingman once in awhile. Sometimes the choice of women thrown at Rufus by his father had him swallowing down his amusement at Rufus's expense. He was the only one who could openly tease Rufus about his dates after the fact.

Tseng got him to The Violetta twenty minutes ahead of time. The Violetta was one of the most prestigious dining establishments in Midgar, rated at 5 stars for over a decade, but came with the price tag to boot. The seasonal ingredients were flown in and prepared fresh daily from various farms, fisheries, and ranches.

"How do I look?" He asked his Turk as he stepped out of the car.

Tseng straightened his tie for him and patted down the back of his suit.

"You look great Sir." Rufus nodded before entering the establishment and Tseng followed just two steps behind.

He met Lydia there. After brief introductions from both side's parents, they were left alone.

"Order what you'd like Lady Lydia." Rufus said as the waiter presented them with menus that had no prices listed.

She looked nice enough and was demure, dressed properly for someone who could match Rufus's social standing.

"You are too kind, Mr. Shinra." She took the menu from his hand.

A couple of apperatifs were served before conversation began in earnest. She was the middle daughter of a business partner dealing in heavy weapons manufacturing. She came from a good family and prestigious background, but it soon became apparent that her views were rather extreme.

She looked between Rufus and the black haired man standing behind him.

"I don't know why you hire Wutaiians, if I were Shinra, I'd filter them out during the hiring process but I guess if he's your bodyguard then sure. His life is expendable."

Tseng kept his mouth shut and looked straight ahead. Rufus's face didn't betray his feelings but Tseng could tell that his anger was rising by the way Rufus's fingers twitched slightly. Rufus managed a small smile as the waiter came by with the plates from their order. "Garçon, could you please bring us another chair?"

The waiter nodded and pulled a chair up to the table. Rufus patted the seat. "Tseng, sit down, you should eat too."

Rufus ordered him pan-seared scallops in lemon butter sauce, considered a rare delicacy as this type of scallops were only found near the Northern Shores. Tseng sat down quietly next to Rufus, now feeling like a third wheel since his chair was to the side, cutting in right in between Rufus and Lydia who were facing each other.

Lydia scooted a little away from Tseng and gave him a disgusted look as she eyed the scallops in jealousy. This was her date and she hadn't even ordered something so nice for herself. The Wutaiian man was crashing her date. A simple bodyguard, of descent that was perpetually Shinra's enemy, was ruining her date with Rufus Shinra. She couldn't stand the idea.

Tseng looked at the food knowingly. Rufus had ordered for him because he knew Tseng liked scallops, but this was clearly a show to the lady who had expressed an opinion that had pissed Rufus off.

"How's your dish Tseng? I heard that scallops are in season right now."

Tseng nodded as he delicately cut into his food, with every bit of etiquette as Rufus himself. "They're plump and juicy, rich in flavor of the northern ocean."

"That sounds really good. Could I have a bite?" Rufus smiled at him sweetly.

It was usually considered taboo to eat food from another's plate at a restaurant of this caliber but this was Rufus Shinra. Tseng generously scooped up two whole scallops with his used fork and placed them down on Rufus's plate as Lydia's mouth went agape.

Rufus ended the date as soon as they finished and paid for their food. "Well Miss Lydia, it was a pleasure to meet you." He did not even reach out a hand to shake hers before pulling Tseng along on the way out.

"That was kind of awful. I hope you don't feel hurt." He stated to Tseng from the passenger seat.

"Her sentiment is more prevalent in Midgar than you'd expect Sir. I'm used to it." Tseng replied as he made the turn towards Shinra Tower.

"But still..." Rufus's eyebrows knit together as he went into deep thought over the matter. "I really have nothing against you being Wutaiian Tseng."

"I know that Sir." He smiled. He was definitely a third wheel tonight, but Rufus made him feel like he was invited and welcomed the whole evening.

~...~

The sun beat down on Tseng and his suit stuck uncomfortably to him. Costa del Sol was a yearly trip for Rufus as he loved the sand and sun as much as he loved the snow and ice in the winter. Rufus was decked out in an open beach style shirt and shorts, sandals off on the side as he sat in a beach chair with sunglasses hanging low on his nose.

"You need to strip some layers Tseng, you're going to overheat and pass out, then who's going to guard me?" Rufus mumbled as he sipped on his drink.

"But Sir." Tseng responded as he looked down at him.

"Take it off." Rufus goaded him. "We're on a private part of the beach anyways."

Tseng reluctantly unbuttoned his suit and set the jacket aside.

"Tch, those stuffy trousers and the shirt and tie too." Rufus said as he put down his drink in annoyance and started unbuckling Tseng's belt for him.

"I can do it myself Sir!" a little pink tint crept up on Tseng's face.

"Hmph then do it." Rufus picked up his drink again and watched Tseng strip down to just boxers.

"Cactaur print huh." Rufus commented offhandedly. Tseng's cheeks were now red, not because of the heat of the sun.

Rufus watched in amusement as Tseng was standing off to the side, gun clasped in hand as he was standing barefoot on the sand in his Cactaur print boxers and nothing else. He shook his head. The teen captured his eyes more than he could have imagined over the past few years. At first, it was more on the side of curiosity and needing a friend, but Rufus found himself liking Tseng a little more than the word "friend" could describe. No, he definitely was into pampering his favorite Turk and watching him squirm at the special treatment. Tseng had all kinds of cute little quirks that were buried deep under his stoic façade. It became a kind of hobby for Rufus to try digging up every quirk he could find.

"You're rooming with me when we get on the cruise tomorrow." Rufus stated as he watched Tseng for reactions. To Tseng's credit, he didn't flinch, but his skin seemed to tint slightly more pink at the statement. Rufus felt victorious and was pleased that Tseng had stopped questioning being dragged along on luxury excursions over the years.

Fireworks shot up around them, illuminating the waters below as they stood against the deck railing. Rufus was drinking something that smelled strong.

"Aren't you still underage to drink Sir?" Tseng, always being the mother.

"Yes, but does it matter? I'm on vacation and I'm not going anywhere. Want a sip? It's pretty good."

"Stop pushing alcohol on me, I'm underage for drinking too, besides I'm still on duty." Rufus laughed at Tseng's inability to relax.

Live music from the deck wafted slow romantic songs into the night as they watched couples start dancing below.

"You should have brought Lady Maria on this trip instead of me." Tseng commented as he watched the scene down on the deck.

"HAH, and you'd let me just go on a cruise with a lady older than me on my own?" Rufus countered with a haughty laugh.

"Well...point taken." Tseng conceded as he thought about what Rufus meant. Of course he wasn't going to let Rufus roam around without a bodyguard. "What I meant was ... " Before Tseng could finish his sentence, Rufus interrupted him. "You think I won't get to dance just because I'm not with a lady?"

Rufus put his drink down on the table next to him. "Try me, Tseng. I know you know how."

Tseng's shared more than enough dance lessons with Rufus to be able to accompany him to elite social events.

"That's not the point." He grumbled as Rufus took one of his hands and put an arm around his waist. He smelled the alcohol on Rufus's breath as Rufus came near his face. "Sir, you're drunk."

"No I'm buzzed."

"Same difference."

They waltzed to the beat of the music in small circles on the private patio at the top suite deck. Tseng was leading more even though Rufus was playing the part of the man in the dance. He gasped in surprise when Rufus dipped him down low towards the floor and winked at him. "Will Tseng-derella join me tonight?"

Tseng snorted. "That's incredibly cheesy Sir."  
Rufus pulled him back up. "Don't ruin the mood Tseng."

Rufus managed to down a few more strong drinks through the evening before Tseng took the bottle away from him.

"Sir. You're going to make yourself sick by morning."  
Tseng downed the rest of the bottle of alcohol to stop Rufus from having more. He was starting to feel a bit hot and bothered.

Rufus looked at Tseng blearily, a silly smile plastered on his face. "You'll take care of me right?"

Tseng pulled him inside the suite and helped him towards the large bed in the center of the room. They collapsed down together when Tseng lifted Rufus up and heaved him onto the bed like a sandbag.

"I will not take care of you if you throw up on me." He helped Rufus out of his clothes before preparing to go to bed himself.

At Rufus's behest, Tseng had joined him in the suite for the trip, but they had discovered that there was only one large bed on the first night. Tseng was surprised when Rufus told him that he really didn't mind sharing. Presently, Rufus was clinging to him and giggling in his drunken state.

"You're pretty, did you know that?" He said as he pressed a chaste kiss onto Tseng's lips. Tseng, with the alcohol now working in his system and without knowing what he was doing, felt himself responding back in kind.

They were tangled up in each other's embrace under the blankets the next morning.

~...~

After the trip to Costa del Sol, Tseng had finally realized that Rufus liked him. They had ended up having sex that night in their drunken state, part of which he remembered and ended up liking to his surprise. They had engaged in private many times after, but Tseng couldn't state what kind of relationship this really was aside from a purely physically satisfying one.

It surprised him none when Rufus asked for his company on a hot springs trip to Wutai in the fall. It was a pre-trip to a negotiations meeting in Wutai, but Rufus always liked to make the most of business trips.

The fall leaves in Wutai were just as beautiful as he remembered them to be from early childhood. The mix of orange, yellows, and reds blended into each other into a picturesque mural and ephemeral when the wind made a curtain of red fall.

"It's kind of unfair you grew up with this scenery Tseng." Rufus drawled as he admired the view.

"I haven't seen this much more than you have Sir." Tseng replied as he untied his hair.

Rufus was staring. "Oh. I guess you haven't. How long have you been at Shinra now?"

"More than two-thirds of my life Sir." Tseng replied as he dipped into the natural hotspring.

The fall wind blew all around them, fluttering Tseng's now semi-long hair around his shoulders. They sighed as the warmth of the open air hotspring kept the wind from chilling them.

"Do you think we can build one like this in Midgar too?" Rufus asked as he reached a hand out to brush Tseng's hair back from his face.

"No. There's no natural hot springs near Midgar. The closest you'd get is really hot recycled bath water."

"Well maybe I should make a new business out of recycled bath water." Rufus hummed as he thought about his new idea. Tseng smiled at that. Rufus was always thinking up new business models to try to top his father's business prowess, but this one by far has been the most entertaining idea.

"I could get used to this scenery though." Rufus mumbled hotly against his ear, which was cold from the wind.

"Which scenery?" Tseng asked while lowering his gaze seductively at Rufus.

"....that one over there." Rufus replied as he pointed towards the mimoji trees in front of the bath.

"Hmm......."

"....and this one right here." Rufus whispered as he pressed butterfly kisses along Tseng's shoulder.

Tseng already knew this was going to be an enjoyable trip.

~...~

"You're not going to join me?" Rufus asked as he geared up to ski down the hill.

"No thank you Sir." Tseng replied with determination. "Reno can go with you."

The resort was nice and all, but slipping down snowy slopes wasn't Tseng's definition of fun.

The redhead saluted them both before pulling on his ski goggles. "Ready to go when you are Boss!"

Next to Tseng, Rude was equally unimpressed by the winter wonderland in front of them. Neither of them hated the snow nor the cold, but neither liked winter sports.

"Will Reno keep Rufus out of trouble?" Tseng asked Rude as he watched the two jump down the slope.

"You mean...will Rufus keep Reno out of trouble?" There was a shared moment of silence before they broke out in soft chuckles.

The two decided to retreat back into the warmth of the resort lobby to wait for Reno and Rufus to come back. It's going to be hours before that happens if past experiences at the mountain resort were anything to go by.

"How come you always get taken on the fancy trips?" Rude asked uncharacteristically as the large clock mounted on the wall chimed that two hours had passed. Tseng thought about it. He really didn't have an answer, at least, not one that he could share with his coworker.

Rude glanced at him. "He's dating you isn't he? How long?"

Tseng's eyes went wide. "He's not 'dating' me, what gave you that idea?"

"Hm. Cissnei told me about the origin of your earrings. And don't think even for a second that we don't notice your long absences when you're with Rufus." Rude replied as he stared into the fireplace. Rude decided he didn't need to further embarrass Tseng by also telling him how his clothes were slightly disheveled and his lips were more swollen and red.

Tseng was silent for a minute. He was going to need to have a chat with Cissnei after they return from this trip. He never considered the thing between him and Rufus as "dating", but it sure wasn't platonic. They definitely both had feelings for each other that turned into heated passion when they were away from prying eyes and ears and Rufus had treated him to what others probably would consider high end dates for a long time now. He chewed on his lips as he thought about it. He really did like Rufus...a lot in fact.

Rude watched Tseng turn silent in contemplation. "Tell Reno to come up when he's back. I'll leave you to your daydreaming."

"I'm not daydreaming."

"Uh huh. And I have a bet with Cissnei against Emma and Reno. Don't disappoint us."

They sipped on two glasses of wine slowly as the heat of the fireplace emanated around them, surrounding the entire room in warmth.

"Sir...are we dating?" Tseng asked out of the blue.

Rufus expressed his amusement as Tseng was currently sitting in his lap on the couch next to the fireplace. "What does it look like Tseng?"

Tseng lowered his gaze as his heart started pounding in his chest. "I think we are."

"You would be right, and for your information I'm being exclusive, I hope you are as well." Rufus replied before pulling Tseng closer for a kiss.

Tseng's heart was singing. "Of course Sir." He replied before melting into Rufus's touch.

It looks like Rude and Cissnei will win their bet.

**Author's Note:**

> Rude and Cissnei betted that Tseng and Rufus were officially dating.
> 
> FYI look up double twisted crown braids, they look amazing and I actually want to see Tseng's hair done in that style.
> 
> Tseng is dense when it comes to emotions.
> 
> They were old enough in that scene for sex, just not old enough to drink.
> 
> Who is the high maintenance boyfriend in their relationship? I think they both are.


End file.
